Poll: Voters Split on Late-Term SCOTUS Nominations

Voters in a new poll are largely split on whether the Senate should consider a Supreme Court nomination at the end of a president's term as the chamber prepares for Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings with the presidential election weeks away.

Results in the Monmouth University poll:

• 47% of voters said it's OK for the Senate to take up a Supreme Court nomination at the end of a president's term, with 49% saying the process should wait until after the election. In 2016 when the Republican-controlled Senate refused to take up then-President Barack Obama's Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland, 57% said the Senate should hold confirmation hearings, and 39% said the opposite.
• 83% of Republicans said the confirmation process should proceed as normal, compared to 36% who said the same in 2016.
• 16% of Democrats are in favor of holding confirmation hearings at this point in a president's term, compared to 74% who said the same in 2016.
• 48% of independents said a Supreme Court nomination should be considered in the Senate this late in a president's term, compared to 60% who said the same in 2016.
• Regarding the vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 46% of voters approve of President Donald Trump trying to fill the seat before the Nov. 3 election. 51% disapprove of him doing so.
• 53% said the Senate should hold hearings for Trump's nominee, while 43% said it should not. Four years ago, 73% of voters said the Senate should hold hearings for Garland.
• 49% said they think Barrett is more of a conservative and 5% said she is more of a moderate. 44% said they haven't heard enough about her.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 24-27 among 809 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

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